Car-door mechanism



May 11 1926.

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I TORNE Y Patented May 1l, 1926.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM E. WINE, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.`

'y g, CAR-DOOR MECHANISM.

Application led October 10, 1922. Serial No. 593,525.

This invention relates to a drop door ar rangement for railway cars and has as one of its principal objects to provide a simple and economical form of door-supporting mechanism wherein the door may be held in a partly or in a completely closed position, and also to afford a door device wherein the door supporting mechanism may be actuated to force the door from a partly closed to a fully closed position. Other objects are to provide a door device of sturdy construction and one that may be operated by inexperienced and unskilled workmen.

With such general objects in view, the invention consists of the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be herein described and particularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which show a preferred embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a side elevational View of a portion of a car body, together witha hinged door applied thereto and a doorsupporting mechanism constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. Figure 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view through a portion of the car and one of the doors, taken approximately on the line 2 2 of Figure 1, the door being shown in fully closed position. Figure 3 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 2, but showing the door in partly closed position.

Referring to these drawings, the side of the car is denoted by the numeral 1. This in the present embodiment consists of a steel plate, which has an angle iron stiflening member 2 secured along the lower edge thereof by means of rivets 3. The car may' have the customary longitudinal center sill arrangement 4 of channel and plate construction, and a covering plank 5 may extend longitudinally of the car over the center sill. Cross bearers such as 6 extending from side to side of the car may be employed. s

Hinge members 7 are shown as attached to the center sill by means of rivets 8, and to these fixed car body hinges are pivoted door hinges 9. `The door in the present embodiment is arranged to swing from alongside of the center sill 4 so that its free edge when in closed position extends along the side of the car, the axes of the hinge pintles 26 being disposed longitudinally of the car and parallel with the center sill 4. The

door hinges are shown as composed of angle lrons 10, together with hinge clips such as 11, the latter being secured to the angles 10 as byv means of rivets `12. Two such hinges may be used for each door, and the door planking 13 may be positioned upon the tops of the angle irons 10, bolts 14 being employed to secure the door planking to the top legs of the angle ironsV 10. The door is arranged to close beneath the horizontal leg of the angle iron 2, and the outermost ends of the angle irons 10 are arranged to extend outwardly beyond the edge of the door and beyond the side of the car bodyV and beneath the car side plate 1, thus con* stituting door-supporting arms.

In the present embodiment, a door-sup* porting mechanism is provided for cooperating with each of the angle irons 10, each of said mechanisms embodying a bracket 15 which is secured tol the outer face of the car side by means of rivets 16. To each of these brackets 15 is pivoted a sling or loop 17 which is arranged to swing outwardly from the car side to release the door and inwardly or toward the center of the car to support the door in closed position. These slings are pivoted within suitable openings 18 in the brackets 15. A casting 19 secured to the top vface of each angle iron 10 has its upper portion formed as an inclined plane adapted to contact the lower portions of the slings, or members 20 carried therefrom, t0 cause the slings to swing outwardly when the door is lifted, thus enabling the slings to drop by gravity into` supporting positions beneath the angle irons 10.

Each sling has mounted upon its lowermost portion a rotatable cam or latch member 20 which is adapted to seat beneath the angle iron when in supporting position. This latch or cam 20 is arranged so that it can be moved or rotated upon the sling to thereby support the door in a partially closed or fully closed position. To this end, the cam is formed so that its axis of rotation is less distant from the preliminary supporting surface 21 than it is from the final supporting surface thereof, such as 22. An extension 23 may be and preferably is formed kat a convenient place upon this latch to assist in forcing it into or out of engagement with the door angle, or to move it from one position of engagement to another.

The contour of the outermost end of cach angle l() is formed to co-operate with the contacting surface of the cam '20, and the angle 10 may also have applied toits outermost end an adapter casting, such as 24, to strengthen the end of the angle and to increase the bearing surface for the cam Q0. Rivets 25 may be utilized for attaching this casting to the angle 10, and also for tying the casting 19 thereto.

In operation, the door is lifted by hand to the position shown in Figure 3, when the end of lthe angle may seat upon the surface 21 of the cam 20, thereby supporting the door in a partly closed position. By now rotating the cam in a counter-clockwise direction, as it yappears in Figure 3 of the drawings, the door will be forced lto the fully closed position as shown in Figure 2 by the eccentric action of this cam in its co-operation 'with the bearing surface of the angle iron 10 and the bracket 24.

The contours of the cam and of the contacting surface of the angle iron are preferably so developed that when the cam 20 is rotated to thefully closed position of the door, as shown in Figure 2, it will be in a position slightly beyond one in which the effect of the load will be to release the door, or in other words it Ais carried slightly beyond the dead center, so that the weight of the door will not tend to reverse the rotation of the cam.

I have thus described a preferred embodiment of my invention. Other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit thereof.

That is claimed is:

1. In a car door mechanism, a drop door hinged to the car body and having an arm extending outward beyond one edge thereof, a door-supporting member pivoted to the car body, and a door-engaging latch movably mounted on the said door-supporting member at a point which is below the door when the .latter is in closed position, said latch being adapted when in one position to engage the said arm to support the door in partly closed` position, and being adapted when moved to lIlOther pOStiOn upon the said d0or-supporting member to cause the door to be raised to a fully closed position.

t2. In a car door mechanism, a drop door hinged to the car body and having an `arm extending outward beyond one edge thereof, and ka door-supporting sling pivoted to the car bodyand adapted to .swing over the end of the said arm, the said sling being provided with a rotatable cam adapted to engage said arm, and the surface of the said cam of the coengaging portion of the said arm being so formed that in one position of the cam the door will be supported in partly closed position and that rotation of the cam to another position will cause a lifting of the door.

3. In a car door mechanism, a drop door hinged to the car body and having a bracket affixed thereto near the free edge of the door, a bracket aiiixed to the car body near the said door bracket when the door is in closed position, and a link or loop pivotedupon one bracket and engageable with the otherI bracket and adapted to support the door in partly closed or fully closed position, there being a rotatable eccentric member so interposed between the link and said bracket aiiixed to the door as to cause upon rotation thereof, lifting of the door and locking of the said link in supporting engagement between the two brackets.

4. In car door mechanism, a drop door hinged to the car body, an arm carried by said door and extending outwardly beyond an edge of the latter, a door supporting member movably mounted on the car body and extending downwardly so as to overlap said arm when said door is in closed position, and a cam rotatably mounted on said door supporting member and adapted to engage said arm.

5. In car door mechanism, a drop door hinged to the car body, andmeans for supporting said door in closed position, said means involving a member pivoted to said car body and extending on opposite sides of the plane of said door, and a cam rotatably mounted upon said pivoted member and adapted to be positioned between the latter and said door.

6. In car door mechanism, a drop door hinged to the car body, an arm carried by said door and projecting beyond an edge thereof, a pivoted door supporting member carried by said car body and adapted to extend beneath said arm so as to support said door, and means whereby said arm while ,supported by said pivoted member may be caused to move toward the pivot point of the latter, said means being movably mounted upon said pivoted supporting member and being adapted to occupy a position between said supporting member and said arm when the door is supported against opening movement.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM E. IVINE. 

